Stryper “No More Hell to Pay” Album Review (Video)

There were the fluro colored parachute pants, the big screaming
hairdos, the first appearance of music on a shinning plate called CD, the rise
of wholesome family fuzzy TV shows such as the Cosby Show, the emerging
popularity of video games, and then there was Stryper.The 80s was certainly a decade for us to be nostalgic
about. Though many things that were
patented about the decade are already a transient memory, Stryper is not.Taking their name from the KJV of Isaiah 53:5,
Stryper’s drummer Robert Sweet also
created a backronym for their name, “salvation through redemption, yielding
peace, encouragement and righteousness.”Stryper is never reticent about their faith.Rather, what has set them apart from their
metallic rock peers such as Def Leppard, Van Halen and Bon Jovi is that the
message of faith that is always at the front and center of their songs. Dressed
in black and yellow outfits, they would even go further by tossing out Bibles
in their concerts.Yet, despite their
message, Stryper became hugely successful starting with their sophomore album “To
Hell with the Devil.” This is one of the few Christian rock albums to achieve
Platinum status selling over a million copies in the US alone in 1986.

However when the 90s rolled around, with the advent popularity
of stripped down rock, thrash metal and post-grunge, the death knell was
starting to ring for many pop-metal bands. Stryper too felt the strain to accommodate.
Thus, with their 1990 album “Against the Law,” the band made some concessions but
the changes were far too radical for fans to accept.Not long after, with the ensuing departure of
lead singer Michael Sweet, the band finally called it quits in 1992.However, at the turn of the millennium with a
resurging interest back to the nostalgic sounds of the 80s and the loyalty of
the band’s legions of fans, Stryper has been back.Having signed a multi-album deal with
Frontiers Records, they have issued a re-recording of their older hits (with 2
new songs) entitled “Second Coming” earlier this year.And now they are back with their long awaited
Frontiers Records debut of entirely newly recorded songs.

While many artists who had started off in the 80s feel like
they have moved with the times by incorporating a new computerized cut and
paste sound, you won’t find such doltish compromise here. “No More Hell to Pay”
has that loud glam metallic roar that fans have been waiting for since the
1980s.This album, which features one
cover and 11 originals coming mostly from Michael Sweet’s pen, has everything
fans have loved about the band. “Revelation,” which kicks off the album, is
indicative of the record.Sweet’s high
falsetto vocals, rifting guitars and the bold faith-centered message are all
intact.Lyrically, “Revelation” is a masterpiece:it brilliantly uses images from the book of
Revelation as a call for all of us to repent.While the title cut “No More Hell to Pay” speaks about an unwavering trust
to follow Jesus despite of all the doubting voices that might surround us.With a track like “Saved By Love,” Stryper
has certainly eradicated the common (mis)conception that heavy metal is often
associated with Beelzebub, as they could not have presented the Gospel with
greater perspicuity.

Interestingly, the only cover here is Arthur Reid Reynolds’ “Jesus
is Just Alright,” a song popularized by the Doobie Brothers.However, fans of Contemporary Christian music
would have also remembered that DC Talk had a cover of the same song way back
in 1992.The Stryper has certainly
heightened the rock elements of the song but most exquisite is their tight
harmonies that radically transform this folk song into a faith-affirming
anthem. Perhaps the only drawback of
this record is the dearth of big ballads such as “Honestly” and “Always There
for You.”The only time the tempo
decelerates is with “The One;” a couple of ballads would certainly have shuffled
the album’s pace a little.Nevertheless,
if you are looking for copious dueling guitar solos, enormous melodic hooks,
locomotive drumming and lots of loud passionate singing (with a few screams
thrown in), “No More Hell to Pay” won’t disappoint.